She pretended to read as she observed all the servants roaming about, going in and out of the house in preparation for the ball. Although she knew they would all be heavily compensated, Hope felt guilty for their fool’s labor since the party would not go as planned, not without the birthday girl. Gratefully, Maria was busy as well, so Hope was left to her own devices. Hope made sure to greet anyone who passed her way. She needed them all to say to her parents she was in the garden the entire time.
Hope chose her place visually. The trunk and the branches were big enough nobody could actually see her from inside the house. She passed some time in false idleness, trying to remember every nook and cranny of her home, every vine or flower inside the garden, fully knowing this could very well be the last time she saw the mansion in person. That notion almost brought tears to her eyes. Don’t you dare cry, she snapped at herself.
Last night, she said farewell to the people who worked for her family, the people she knew most of her life, even though they did not know she was doing it. She left something special for Maria, a small token of Hope’s affection in a place only Maria could find it. And not simply because Hope wanted to compensate Maria for the dress she took from her. It was Hope’s way of expressing immense gratitude because Maria was by her side for many years, looking after her and making her life that much easier.
Adiós, mi querida amiga.
Saying goodbye to her parents was the hardest and it nearly broke her to tears right in front of them during dinner. She managed to calm herself only by sheer willpower and a small pin she took out of her hair. Hope used it to prick her finger. That helped her center and focus.
Once she deemed enough time passed and that the coast was clear, Hope collected her bag, her cloak, and her parasol from the shed in a rush, and without sparing another glance toward the house she grew up in, knowing that could very well be her undoing, ran through the garden door into the street and toward her freedom. It was hard for her not to actually run and put as much distance as was possible between her and the house before she dared to stop a carriage. Her heart beat like a marching band inside her chest as she got in. Hope made sure her face was obscured while telling the coachman to take her to the train station. It was better to be safe than sorry.
Goodbye, Aligate, she thought, glancing through the window.
Getting to the busy train station, Hope allowed herself one small sigh of relief. She made it there. So far so good. Naturally, she was very much aware it was too early to celebrate or proclaim her escape successful. She had to board the train, after all. Checking the clock, she confirmed that the train would not be arriving for another forty-five minutes. Oh, the agony of waiting.
Hope went to the restroom so she could change her attire. She had packed Maria’s dress with her and now she took it out of her bag and changed into it. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was satisfied it fit her rather well. Next step was to change her hairstyle since her current one was too elaborate and she needed it to match the rest of her clothing. In other words, she needed it to be more plain.
Once she was done, she went outside to the platform and waited. Time practically stood still. There was nothing to do apart from worry about her parents and if they would discover her missing before Hope had a chance to leave. To make matters worse, she couldn’t help but turn or jump at every sound around her. And there were a lot of them. She was never this fearful. Sadly, a great deal changed in the last couple of months.
Stop being so fearful, she snapped at herself, rather annoyed by her behavior, still, her nerves did not relent. Everything will be fine once the train arrives, she told herself repeatedly, and that somewhat helped.
A couple of times she even thought she heard her father’s voice calling out for her. I am discovered. She would start to really panic only to realize it was a false alarm.
Keep it together, Hope, she warned. If she couldn’t even do this, then she was certainly doomed because this was just the beginning of the journey. She hoped the train would arrive soon before she gave herself a heart attack.
Finally, Hope cheered. Soon, I will escape this place and be free. She barely stopped herself from jumping up and down on the platform when she spotted her train in the distance, and its slow advance toward the station.
Unfortunately, her celebration was premature. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kristopher Hewitt appeared on the same platform. Oh, no. Hope practically shouted her surprise before remembering to not draw attention to herself, clamping a hand across her mouth. Bless the heavens he did not spot her. If she lingered that could easily change.
What is he doing here? She stressed, running back inside the station to hide from his view.
What am I to do now? How to pass him? Her mind swirled with questions. Hope peeked through the window. Kristopher looked at his watch and then at the approaching train. Blast! He was clearly expecting someone, waiting for the same train she did. Hope wanted to curse again. The train was approaching, and she was running out of time. All right, don’t panic. Think.
Once the train arrived, all the people inside, passengers, would start getting out of it, flooding the platform. Hope would use the crowd as her disguise to reach her seat. Or so she hoped. First, she had to locate her train car. She looked at her ticket and then at the train that was slowly approaching.
Hope started counting the seconds, waiting for the train to fully arrive at the station. Her hands started to sweat in anticipation to reach for the door. Not yet, she cautioned herself. She switched glances between the train, not seeing the number of her car, and Kristopher who was still standing in the same spot.
Miraculously, the train stopped, announcing that with a solid horn blast and instantly people started getting out of it. Not yet.
Passengers started greeting the ones awaiting them in a universal way, with loud shouts, happy embraces, and lots of laughter. Hope tried not to lose focus by those endearing sights.
Where is it? She asked impatiently. Finally, she spotted her train car. It was on the far right, and Kristopher was standing at the far left.
Praise Heaven!
When the crowd was at its maximum, Hope dashed through the door. She couldn’t help but glance behind her to see if Kristopher was there. He was. He was searching the crowd, clearly looking for someone. Then he started waving.
Unfortunately, while Hope looked behind her at Kristopher, she wasn’t paying attention to where her feet were taking her. She smacked into a wall of a man, stumbling backward. The force of the impact knocked the bag out of her hand. “I do apologize,” Hope mumbled, picking up her bag in haste. The man started grumbling something about today’s youth and their lack of observational skills, however, Hope did not stick around to hear the end of that tirade. She did not want to draw any more attention upon herself.
Please don’t let him see me. Please don’t let him see me, she repeated like a mantra, openly running toward her train car. She practically jumped inside and immediately slumped against her seat, slouching away from the window.
Please don’t let him see me, Hope continued to pray, breathing hard.
The only other passenger inside with her was a middle-aged woman, who looked at her rather suspiciously. And how could she not, when Hope came in such a dramatic manner.
Like I am running away from something, which was precisely what she did. “Good day,” Hope greeted her, offering a pleasant smile, hoping that would cause the woman to stop glaring at her.
“Good day,” the woman replied cautiously.
Hope took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, putting the bag underneath her seat. “I was afraid the train would leave without me,” she offered. That was as close to the truth as she could get since she was very bad at lying. Instantly, the woman’s whole face softened.
“Is this your first time traveling alone, my dear?” She inquired.
“Yes,” Hope replied sheepishly, as there was no point in hiding the obvious.
Where is Kristopher? Hope wondere
d in the next moment, carefully peeking through the window. Other passengers were slowly getting inside the train, and the conductor was helping a pair with their placement right in front of Hope’s window. She tried to see past them.
The woman started to chat with her and Hope tried her best to answer all of her questions without actually revealing too much. It was troubling, especially with her focus someplace else. They introduced themselves to one another. Hope said her name but refrained from telling her surname.
Maybe I should have used my middle name? She started to panic. It was too late for that now. Hope really needed this train to start moving. She could not spot Kristopher anymore and that troubled her.
“So, how old are you, Hope?”
“I am twenty-one. Actually, today is my birthday.”
And then it truly hit her. Today is my birthday. That left her feeling rather strange. Well, happy birthday to me.
She never imagined she would spend it on a train, chatting with a foreign woman. But life can be like that sometimes, utterly unpredictable. Hope just had to figure out if that was a good or a bad thing.
Hope was so deeply lost inside her head that she failed to notice when the train really started moving. She looked through the window in wonder, returning to the present. They were pulling out of the station, slowly at first, much faster once the train got into its rhythm.
I have actually done it, she praised, all her worries about Kristopher and her parents forgotten for a moment. Once they moved far enough away from the station, Hope opened the window and started looking at the city she was leaving behind. Saying goodbye to it was difficult, after all, this was all she knew and loved all her life. Surprisingly, that sadness was quickly replaced with something different and more powerful.
Hope realized she was more focused on the future and what fate had in store for her. The unknown was filled with all kinds of possibilities and wonders. The endless chances absolutely excited her.
Happy birthday to me, indeed.
6
After the initial shock and trepidation, Hope started to relax and eventually enjoy her journey. In her opinion, she rather quickly adapted to her life on the road even though it was tedious and long. It was full of wonders, as well, as she was constantly moving forward which soon became her mantra. Always look forward. Since she could not look back as it still caused her too much pain to think about her family, and all the people she left behind.
Always look forward, she reminded herself, taking a deep breath, focusing on the scenery around her. That was what had been capturing her attention from the start. Hope did not know the land was this beautiful, even when it was harsh. She had traveled before with her family. They always visited the same places that were fairly close by, in the countryside since her mother detested long journeys. And nature there was beautiful, yet controlled in a way.
Traveling toward Rippingate, through different states, Hope got the opportunity to experience everything with a fresh set of eyes, see how nature acted when it was left wild and free. At first, she could not believe how much the scenery, from her train window, or her coach window, changed the further she traveled west. The further she was from home.
For one thing, it became increasingly hot and dry. She was used to hot weather, however, the dryness of the air was something she had to get accustomed to. The other thing was closely related to the first. The sun was merciless, burning the ground and everything on it in all kinds of shades of red and orange. Hope was somewhat relieved she had the mind to bring her parasol with her, or she would most definitely earn herself sunburns. Her pale skin was unaccustomed to such harshness.
I guess that is just one of the many things I will have to deal with.
Hope would have to get accustomed to the harsher weather and presumably other things as well if she wanted to live here. A little bit of sun was not going to deter her from her plans. After all, she was a Trousdale. That meant she was extremely stubborn when needed. This whole journey was partly a testament to that.
Hope was well in her fourth week of the journey when she realized it would all be over soon.
And then what?
Some of her uneasiness returned. She tried not to think much about Mr. Dalbow, meeting him and everything that entailed, or she would go completely mad.
She was resolved if not a bit reserved. Under the circumstances she deemed that to be quite normal. That was not all she was feeling. With each passing mile, she got more and more excited. She couldn't wait to see the town with her own two eyes, a town that Jessamine wrote to her about so many times. She was excited to see her friend as well. Hope was mildly worried about Jessamine. She did not like the fact she had gotten no reply from her before departing. While she traveled, Hope had no way of contacting her anew since she could not receive a reply.
Hope was certain Jessamine was all right since there were a lot of reasons a letter never reached her. For four weeks, Hope mildly worried about one other thing. What if Jessamine did reply to her telegram after she escaped? Even though they tried to say as little as possible in their letters, Hope wondered what could have happened if her father managed to get his hands on the last telegram. That made her afraid her father was after her even though Hope was thousands of miles away from home.
In her last telegram to Jessamine, Hope mentioned the date of her departure. Hope prayed her friend would keep that in mind and not send anything that Hope's father could use against her.
She was not cross at Jessamine for not responding. Nobody knew how life could get in the way and mess up perfectly made plans better than Hope. Jessamine helped her a great deal, regardless. Hope certainly wouldn't be where she was, if not for her friend's suggestions, and for that, she would be eternally grateful.
Despite her thoughts taking her in various directions, Hope was certain all was fine and everything would be explained once she reached Rippingate and found Jessamine.
Making inquiries about the departure of her stagecoach, Hope felt like cursing. The time suggested she was already late so she had to run to catch it. Luckily, there was a holdup since a vast number of crates belonging to one gentleman couldn't be packed that easily.
Thank God, Hope sent her thanks to the heavens. It would be a disaster if she missed her ride since the next one was scheduled for the next day, and Hope did not like spending the night alone, in a foreign place. It was far better to always be on the road. Maybe it was silly, yet it made her feel safer.
She sighed in relief once they entered inside and the coachman signaled for his horses to get going.
Hope was dozing off, or more accurately, pretending to do so, since she wasn't in the mood for small talk. During the course of the journey, she was constantly surrounded by strangers. And that was not the bad part. The bad part was having to constantly have the same conversation with everybody.
“What is your name?” “Where are you from?” “Where are you going?” and “How do you fair this weather?” were questions Hope learned to detest. So after a while, she found numerous ways to prevent her companions from engaging her in conversation. Sleeping was one of her favorite ways.
The soft murmurs of others joining in light conversation did not bother her and soon she was actually lulled to sleep when there was a distinct double tap on the top of the coach. Hope opened her eyes, intrigued by the sound.
“What was that?” A gentleman asked in alarm. He was sitting opposite of Hope so she had no problem seeing the genuine fear in his eyes.
“It means danger, so be prepared.” Mrs. Pharis, a very lovely woman who had introduced herself to Hope, replied.
Danger?
Maybe the gentleman was right to be alarmed.
“What do you mean, danger?” The gentleman insisted in a rather squeaky voice, mirroring Hope's thoughts.
Apart from the three of them, there were three more people inside the coach. A mother with a small son that occupied the far left seats on both sides. The boy started the cry the instant Mrs. Pha
ris uttered those words, despite his mother's best effort to console him. And the last passenger, that sat to Hope's right, was a very old man. Hope was certain he was the oldest man she had ever set her eyes upon. The wrinkles on his face had wrinkles, and his eyes were very watery. She wondered if he could even see anything with them. He had a kind face, though, and that made all the difference.
“Everything is all right, Steven,” the mother murmured in her soothing voice. Hope wished there was someone to do the same for her. Hope abandoned all pretenses of sleeping, straightening herself, and got ready to shower Mrs. Pharis with questions. Luckily, there was no need for that.
“Yes,” Mrs. Pharis replied, calmly. “There are a lot of bandits in this area and stagecoach heists are frequent.” Her tone was mild while explaining this to all the passengers and that made Hope presume this was not her first rumble with said bandits.
Despite Mrs. Pharis’ apparent calmness, Hope did not like the sound of it. On the other hand, who would?
The Redemption 0f A Hunted Bride (Historical Western Romance) Page 5
